Of love
THE stage is more beholding to love, than the life of man. For as to the stage, love is ever matter of comedies, and now and then of tragedies; but in life it doth much mischief; sometimes like a siren, sometimes like a fury. You may observe that amongst all the great and worthy persons (whereof the memory remained, either ancient or recent) there is not one, that has been transported to the mad degree of love: which shows that great spirits, and great business, do keep out this weak passion. You must except, nevertheless, Marcus Antonio, the half partner of the empire of Rome, and Appius Claudius, the decimvir and lawgiver; whereof the former was indeed a voluptuous man, and inordinate; but the latter was an austere and wise man: and therefore it seems (though rarely) that love can find entrance, not only into an open heart, but also into a heart well fortified, if watch be not well kept. It is a poor saying of Epicurus, Satis magnum alter alteri theatrum sumus; as if man, made for the contemplation of heaven, and all noble objects, should do nothing but kneel be- fore a little idol, and make himself a subject, though not of the mouth (as beasts are), yet of the eye; which was given him for higher purposes. It is a strange thing, to note the excess of this passion, and how it braves the nature, and value of things, by this; that the speaking in a perpetual hyperbole, is comely in nothing but in love. Neither is it merely in the phrase; for whereas it hath been well said, that the arch-flatterer, with whom all the petty flatterers have intelligence, is a man’s self; Certainly the lover is more. For there was never proud man thought so absurdly well of him self, as the lover doth of the person loved; and therefore it was well said, That it is impossible to love, and to be wise. Neither doth this weakness appear to others only, and not to the party loved; but to the loved most of all, except the love be reciproque. For it is a true rule, that love is ever rewarded, either with the reciproque, or with an inward and secret contempt.
舞?上的?矍楸壬?钪械?矍橐?篮玫枚唷Ｒ?樵谖枧_上，?矍橹皇窍?『捅?〉乃夭摹６?谌松?校?矍?s常常招?聿恍摇Ｋ??r像那位?惑人的魔女，有?r又像那位?统鸬呐?瘛Ｄ憧梢钥吹剑?磺姓嬲?ゴ蟮娜宋铮?o?是古人、今人，只要是其英名永?於人????中的），“?]有一??是因?矍槎?l狂的人：因??ゴ蟮氖?I抑制了???弱的感憎。只有??的安?|尼和克?诘??是例外。前者本性就好色荒淫，然而後者?s是?烂C多值娜恕Ｋ??矍椴?H??最I??缣归?的胸?眩??r也能?入壁?旧?赖男撵`－－假如守?不?赖脑?。 埃皮克拉斯曾??一句笑?：“人生不?是一座大?蚺_。”似乎本???ψ非蟾呱惺?I的人?，?s只??裢媾寂?`般地逢?鲎?蛩频摹ｋm然?矍榈呐?`?K不同于那班只?吃喝的禽?，但?竟也只是眼目色相的奴?－－而上帝?人以眼睛本?硎歉?呱械挠猛镜摹＿^度的?矍樽非螅?厝??档腿吮旧淼?r值。例如，只有在?矍橹校?庞肋h需要那?浮??媚的?令。而在其他?龊希??拥脑~令只能招人?u笑。古人有一句名言：“最大的奉承，人?是留?自己的”。－－只有?η槿说姆畛幸?憷?狻Ｒ?樯踔磷铗?傲的人，也甘?在情人面前自?自?。所以古人?得好：“就是神在?矍橹幸搽y保持?明。”情人的??弱?不?H在外人眼中是明?的，就是在被追求者的眼中也??苊黠@——除非她（他）也在追求他（她）。所以，?矍榈拇?r就是如此，不能得到回?郏???玫揭环N深藏於心的?蔑，?是一?l永真的定律。
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